‘Many therapy sessions,’ answers actress Nandi van Beurden, when asked whatthe TV program is Seeking… brought her. She won the show last year and thussecured the lead role in the musical The sound of music. In the firstepisode of the new season, which started December 23, Van Beurden is a guest.Her answer is a joke, but auditioning for weeks in front of thousands of TVviewers and a studio audience of another 700 must be unnerving.
In the sixth season of Seeking… broadcaster AvroTros lets the viewer choosewho the love couple is from grease , Danny and Sandy, will play in a newproduction by Senf Theater Productions and Albert Verlinde Entertainment.Eight candidates have been selected for each role, mostly young talent who hasjust graduated from theater training or who has played a single professionalrole. In live shows, the potential Dannys perform one week, all the Sandys thenext. The viewer can vote his favourite(s) to the next round.
Since the huge success of singing competition Idols in 2002 talent shows,where viewers can vote for their favorite candidate, have a permanent place inthe TV offer. It usually revolves around singing talent; not for performerswho can also dance and act – qualities that are necessary to play a role likeDanny Zuko or Sandy Olsson.
Programs in which this kind of all-round theater talent can be seen arescarce, but around 2006 there was a boom thanks to the BBC hit How do yousolve a problem like Maria? This searched for the British Nandi van Beurden,performed by comedian Graham Norton and with musical maker Andrew Lloyd Webberon the jury.
Dutch broadcasters were eager to make such a program. SBS6 was the first tosend the one-off Who will be Tarzan? from. In 2007 RTL4 followed with TheRoad to Fame , but it was the NPO that won the BBC format in that year. Thisbecame Seeking… with AvroTros looking for a protagonist for a differentmusical each time.
Since musical auditions have been broadcast, there has been criticism from aprofessional angle: the power of the viewer is said to be too great and doesnot lead to the ‘right’ protagonist. It was one thing to be a crowd pleaser,or so the thought was, but can someone – night after night, month after month– carry a show? In the end, a vote mainly says something about the favorfactor, not about artistic achievements. The crowd favorite might as well be astruggling underdog.
corrective role
In line with this line of thinking, in previous seasons the jury had from_Seeking… another corrective role. The public voted their favorites throughto the next round, but the two least popular candidates ended up in one _singoff to sing one last duet. After this, the jury chose the candidate, whostill continued. In theory, this meant that she could take a contestant thatthe audience didn’t like, to the final. (The choice between the finalists wasentirely in the hands of the public.)
The current jury – consisting of (musical) actors Jim Bakkum and MarlijnWeerdenburg, theater and television producer Maurice Wijnen and a weeklychanging member – no longer has this power. Now the viewer also determines whothe sing off wins. The jury only has an advisory role, admits executiveproducer Jasper Geel, “as far as the audience is guided”.
That the viewer does not care much about experts is evident from the votingbehavior in previous seasons: the jury’s preference regularly deviated fromthe ultimate winner. This was also reflected in the results of the firstepisode of this season. Viewers spared the candidate the jury was mostcritical of (the relatively inexperienced Wendela van Sprundel) the singoff.
According to AvroTros, the broadcaster wants to create “optimal involvement”with the public with the modified format. The broadcaster lets the tension inthe sing off therefore increase considerably. There will be many viewers whofeel so involved that they – after a one-time free vote per voting round viathe broadcasting site – turn to the paid SMS service, which allows unlimitedvoting.
For winners can Seeking… ‘ mean a big move for their careers
‘Fingers crossed’
It’s not easy for talent show winners to stay in the spotlight when the hypedies down after the last episode. According to presenter Frits Sissing, thatis Seeking… otherwise. “It’s great to hear that all our winners and winnersare permanently on that podium,” he exults against Van Beurden in the firstbroadcast. She responds reluctantly: “Well, it is every time fingers crossed, hear.” Nevertheless, the program indeed appears to be a better springboardthan many other talent shows. If you look at the winners of previous editions,you often see flourishing (musical) careers.
Brigitte Heitzer was the first winner of in 2007 Seeking… She became Evitain the musical of the same name. A year later Freek Bartels got the lead role_Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat_. After their participation,both actors have become established names in the musical field. Each year theyplay (leading) roles in one or more productions, as recently as both Diana &sons. This year, Bartels is on stage Les miserables ; Heitzer plays thelead role Mamma mia!
In 2009, Noortje Herlaar became Mary Poppins, a role that earned her a MusicalAward for up-and-coming talent. A varied career followed with various roles inmusicals, plays, TV series and films. In 2020, she played another prominentrole in the award-winning Bowie musical Lazarus.
The next winner, Tommie Christiaan, got the lead role Zorro the least knowntitle from the Seeking …_row. The musical was not very well received by theDutch press, but critics did find that the protagonist was “well worth hisprofit” ( _de Volkskrant ) and “largely fulfills his victory” ( NRC ).Nevertheless, Tommie Christiaan has recently made his appearance in othertalent shows, such as The Voice and Dancing on ice.
Not happy
For winners can participate in Seeking… a big boost for their careers. Tosome extent, this even applies to ‘losing’ candidates. Those who stand out putthemselves in the spotlight of a large audience and producers like to castfamiliar faces to boost ticket sales.
On the other hand, candidates must make concessions. For example, they do notdecide for themselves which songs they sing. That is what producer WarnerBros. does, in consultation with singing coach Esther Pierweijer and musicaldirector Mike Schäperclaus. The AvroTros gives its approval. “A candidate issometimes not happy with a number,” says executive producer Geel. “We don’twant to undermine anyone, but we are dealing with a program.” Each episodemust consist of a varied repertoire, so that a wide audience is addressed.Candidates therefore alternately receive a ballad or an up-tempo song; Dutchor other language; a pop or musical number; with or without choreography.
AvroTros cares Seeking… so for engaged viewers and for candidates, it’s anopportunity to kickstart their careers. But what about the musical lover onthe other side of the screen? So far, he has little to complain about either.The level of the participants is generally high. The current edition includesSandy’s that have already been nominated for a Musical Award as up-and-comingtalent (Danique Graanoogst) or even won the award (Dominique de Bont). Inaddition, the performers hold their own in the live broadcasts. The nerves_sing offs_ sometimes cause outliers, but so far the program has not producedany disappointing winners. It will be interesting to see if this continues nowthat the role of the jury has been curtailed.
Seeking… can be seen every Friday at 8.30 pm on NPO 1. The musical ‘Grease’will tour theaters in the Netherlands from April 2023, with the chosenprotagonists. More info: greasemusical.nl